The present invention relates to an application distribution control system, and application distribution control method, an information processing apparatus, and a client terminal and, specifically, to a technology that enables improvement of operating efficiency for users, etc., by reducing network loads and avoiding load concentration on a server due to a screen transfer mode in server-based computing.
Software such as CRM (Customer Relationship Management), collaboration tool, and ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) package becomes more important in corporate information systems and is incorporated in many companies. Such software is often conventionally operated by a company's IT department having everything from hardware to applications. Therefore, introducing software requires a lot of time and effort for consideration of specifications, purchase, establishment, operation, etc.
On the other hand, recently, software service in the forms called SaaS (Software as a Service) and ASP (Application Service Provider) is becoming widely used. If SaaS and ASP are utilized, software functions provided by an external vender are utilized via a network to outsource a portion of company's information system functions. Utilization of SaaS and ASP allows a company to quickly use necessary software services when needed and to hold down the initial investment cost and the operation cost. It is also advantageous in that a company does not have to possess servers and software as asset.
On the other hand, the performance of PC is further enhanced as utilization of PC in company's general business operation is expanded. As the performance is enhanced, a frequency of replacement of PC lent to company's employees is further increased, requiring more investments. As the number of employees increases, it becomes extremely difficult to integrally manage version-up, bug fixing, antivirus activity, backup, etc., of OS (operating System) and business applications of individual PC.
One technique for reducing the management costs is introduced as a system operation mode called a server-based computing mode (or client-server mode). This mode includes accumulating main programs and data in a server to reduce data accumulated in clients such as thin clients, for example (see e.g., Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2004-094411). Since calculation processes and data accumulation are mainly performed by a server, the server-based computing mode reduces the necessity and the frequency for performing version-up, bug fixing, antivirus activity or virus elimination, etc., of OS and applications utilized in business operations individually in clients such as thin clients, and overall management costs may be reduced. Since hardware may be replaced only on the server side, the reduction of costs may be achieved.